Better than that
by flyin'rabbit
Summary: It may have taken her some time, but Lavender is over Ron - mostly - and she knows now that she can do better.


**A/N**: So... another one-shot? :) Characters may seem a little OOC in this (mostly because it's Lavender's POV, not Harry's, I'm guessing). This probably takes place some time around the end of HBP. Hopefully you'll enjoy the story, and please review at the bottom!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the world of Harry Potter

* * *

><p>It had taken her a while, but she was certain that she was over it now. Over him. As she watched him and his friends a little further down the Gryffindor table, she didn't feel jealous anymore, or about to cry.<p>

She didn't really feel anything anymore. Not during those moments, at least.

Right after their break-up (which, she realised later, had been anything but unexpected), her world seemed to have fallen apart. Her heart had felt broken beyond repair.

And did he care? No, not at all. All he cared for was _her_. That had always been the case, even while they were still in a relationship – even though she had kept on pretending that wasn't the case.

Parvati, who was sitting right in front of her, gave her a tentative smile after following her gaze. "It's still getting to you, isn't it?" she asked softly.

"No." It wasn't. It really wasn't. "No, I'm just… realising what a silly relationship it was."

Parvati raised her eyebrows, but didn't say anything. She might as well have, Lavender thought with a sigh. She knew what her best friend was thinking. They had never done anything but make out. They'd snogged the living daylights out of each other… every single day.

She had to admit, she would've become annoyed by that too.

At this point, she felt embarrassed for letting herself get so caught up in such a shallow relationship. Whatever she must have felt – it was pure lust, attraction, _despair_.

It had never been anything more.

She was glad, now, that it hadn't. After all, if their relationship had gone beyond making out at every available moment, it would have been _so much harder_ to let go once she knew that it wasn't going anywhere. She still didn't know what exactly she'd felt for him, but it was gone now, so it didn't matter.

Why he had ever agreed to date her? Spite. Jealousy. _Despair_. An attempt to show Hermione that… what, exactly? That he, too, could date people who weren't her? That he wasn't going to wait around forever?

Either way, it had something to do with _her_. How ironic.

"Most relationships are like that at our age," Parvati said wisely. "Don't give yourself such a hard time about it. If anything, you now know what you _don't_ want in a relationship."

Their attention was caught when Ron, apparently, said something very funny – everyone around their little group turned towards them and laughed. Hermione said something else, which caused an even bigger uproar.

And all heads turned towards where Parvati and Lavender were sitting.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that they probably weren't laughing at Parvati.

Oh, Merlin. So now they were badmouthing her? Her suspicions were confirmed when Hermione threw a small victorious smile her way – she wasn't sure if she was supposed to notice, but figured that Hermione probably didn't care. She had Ron now, she'd won.

If only they realised that Lavender, by now, didn't particularly care anymore.

She didn't care that Ron had picked Hermione over her, and that he had, most likely, never been fully devoted to their relationship in the first place. She didn't care that they were sitting there, talking and laughing at her expense, mocking her. And she didn't care either that, in all likelihood, they thought that she was going to cry, break down, sob, become completely hysterical, and lose it.

Because she wasn't.

Yes, she might be a girly girl in every way, but a little gossip wasn't going to break her, bring her down. She was better than that. Stronger. Some taunts and childish words wouldn't get to her. The fact that, apparently, they were doing _this_ – it just showed that they weren't as grown up and mature as they liked to think they were.

"Are you okay?" Parvati eyed her concernedly. "Do you want to leave?"

Shaking her head, Lavender replied, "No, we can stay."

She wanted to walk up to their little group and tell them exactly what she thought of them. Tell them that they were being petty and childish and that she was sick of it. But then they would think that she _cared_ about what they said – which she didn't. She didn't care what they had to say about her. And she could certainly do better than that boy who didn't know how to act on his feelings for his best female friend.

And what Parvati had just said was true – she knew now what she didn't want in a relationship. There had to be more than kissing, as pleasant as that had been at the time. There had to be more than coming up with the silliest nicknames ever for one another. Lavender still cringed when thinking about those.

" – gifts she got me."

Ron's voice right behind her caught Lavender off guard. At least he kept walking, and didn't stay there. Still, the group's laughter echoed in her ears. She pursed her lips and glanced at her best friend, who was frowning at the doors.

"That was a low blow," Parvati commented.

Lavender smiled sadly. "I can't say I didn't see it coming though."

"But those presents – they're the normal things that teenagers give each other." Parvati looked a little confused as she said this.

Certain that a dark look was crossing over her features, Lavender muttered, "I'm sure _Hermione Granger_ wouldn't give anyone such things."

Parvati just sighed in response.

So maybe Lavender, though mostly over it, still resented both Ron and Hermione just a little bit. That was not a crime, was it? She would get over it soon, she was sure, and she would be a better person because of it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: So, what do you think? If you have any comments/questions/thoughts, let me know, please review!


End file.
